The Boy on Fire and the Lady of the Flames
by wildcurlgirl
Summary: "You were never a shadow to me, Éponine." In which Éponine lives a little longer at the barricade, and Enjolras's flame is kindled. Rated T because it's Les Mis. Oneshot.


**Hey, I'm back! Thanks for all the reviews/follows/favorites on my previous story, We'll Stand up Champions Tonight. This takes place at the barricade, right after Eponine is shot. Based off the song "Safe and Sound" by the Taylor Swift and The Civil Wars. I own nothing, sadly. Oh and hey, the lullaby at the beginning is called "Bonne Nuit, Mon Ange." Google Translate it!**

_Bonne nuit, mon ange_

_C'est l'heure de fermer les yeux_

_Et de mettre ces questions de côté pour un autre jour_

_Je crois savoir ce que tu me demandais_

_Je crois que tu sais ce que j'essayais de dire_

_Je t'ai promis que je ne te quitterais jamais_

_Et tu devrais toujours savoir_

_Que où que tu puisses aller_

_Où que tu sois_

_Je ne serai jamais très loin_

_Bonne nuit, mon ange_

_Maintenant c'est l'heure de dormir_

_Et il y a encore tellement de choses que j'ai envie de dire_

_Souviens-toi de toutes les chansons que tu m'as chantées_

_Quand nous sommes allés faire du bateau sur dans une baie émeraude_

_Et comme un bateau dans l'océan_

_Je te berce pour que tu t'endormes_

_L'eau est sombre et profonde_

_À l'intérieur de ce vieux coeur_

_Tu seras toujours une part de moi_

_Lu-lu-lu-lu-lu-lu_

_lu-lu-lu-lu-lu-lu-lu-lu-lu_

_Bonne nuit, mon ange_

_Maintenant c'est l'heure de rêver_

_Et de rêver combien ta vie sera merveilleuse_

_Un jour ton enfant pleurera peut-être_

_Et si tu chantes cette berceuse_

_Alors dans ton coeur_

_Il y aura toujours une part de moi_

_Un jour nous serons tous partis_

_Mais les berceuses restent encore et encore..._

_Elles ne meurent jamais_

_C'est ainsi que toi_

_Et moi _

_Serons_

"_I remember tears streaming down your face when I said 'I'll never let you go, when all those shadows almost killed your light."_

He sees her run for Marius, and he knows that he'll never reach her in time, that it's best just to let her take the bullet and die for the boy she loves. However, every cynical bone in his body is forgotten as his legs take his willing heart toward her, falling down at her side as her eyes shut. She's smiling, looking at him, not Marius, as her haunting gold orbs disappear.

Marius immediately begins to sob, but Enjolras is still looking for a sign of life, neither breathing nor looking away, afraid if he does, her small body will disappear. Putting a hand to her chest, he finds a heartbeat, and calls Joly over, nearly shoving Marius out of the way as he assists the young doctor. In the end, Joly decides it's best to move her into the café in order to extract the bullet. He holds onto her hand as his friend removes the wretched piece of metal and stiches her up. She screams loudly, crying out, and he can feel the bile rising into his throat and the tears pricking in his eyes. After what feels like hours, Joly's done all he can, and declares the next hours will decide her fate. Nobody notices when he runs into the back alley to empty his stomach, to shake and quiver and just pray to see her eyes one more time.

When he goes back inside, he sits in a chair beside her table, and falls asleep with his head in her hand.

"_I remember you said 'Don't leave me here alone', but all that's dead and gone and past tonight."_

Her voice is what snaps him out of sleep. In a flash he's right there beside her, his ears ready to catch every breath that escapes her lips, his eyes ready to absorb every feature.

"Am I burning bright enough yet?" He looks at her in confusion, putting a hand to her forehead to check for a fever, but he finds none. He brushes a few stray hairs away from her face and shushes her gently, believing her words to be an effect of delirium. "I don't want to be a shadow anymore, Enjolras." And then it hits him, and he nearly breaks into tears right there. She's beautiful- so beautiful. The men almost always favored her younger sister, Azelma, for the girl had blonde curls and big blue eyes with pale skin. But nothing compares to Éponine's russet waves that just seem to flow out behind her wherever she goes. She's never been a shadow to him. She's always been a beacon of light, ever since he laid eyes on her. And so, he gives in to his heart, throwing all caution to the wind, and kisses her. It is nothing but a small peck, but it's so full of childlike innocence that he finds himself wanting to do it again and again.

"You were never a shadow to me, Éponine."

"You're crazy, rebel boy. We'll never make it out of here alive."

"I'll take you for as long as I can have you."

And with that, they kiss again, sealing their love and their fate all in one motion.

"_Don't you dare look out your window, darling everything' s on fire."_

When he wakes up the next morning, he considers running away with her tiny frame in his arms. They could make it to England, she could see a doctor, they could live to be old and marry. But he knows that will never be anything but a fantasy, because his men and his country need him. They cannot face death alone, he did lead him there after all. He looks at the petite girl in his arms, her mouth slightly agape and a small amount of drool dried on her chin. Her cheek is against his chest, her arms strewn around his neck. Gently, he detangles himself from her and gets up from the table, stretching, and picking up his musket. She wakes up and takes his hand, and he strokes his thumb across her knuckles, taking in the sight of her one last time.

"We're going to die today." It's a statement, not a question. She knows that this is it, that none of them will live to see tomorrow. He kisses her hand gently, and looks her in the eyes.

"Time to go down in flames, boy on fire." Surprisingly, he isn't scared.

"As long as my lady of the flames burns with me." And he walks outside, ready.

He watches them all die. Gavroche is the first, and he picks up the small boy and takes him to the café. Éponine doesn't flinch, she doesn't cry. She barely even moves. Her jaw is set and her chin is in the air defiantly as if she knows she'll see him soon. They're all going to die, every last one of them. They won't be seen as heroes, but fools. Nobody will know about Gavroche and how he died valiantly retrieving ammunition, or of Éponine, and how he's pretty sure she's the strongest one here. Nobody will ever know of him, and how he loves her. Joly will never become a real doctor, Feuilly will never make another fan. Grantaire will never drink another drink. The café will be nothing but ghosts, full of bullet holes and death and coffee.

He takes her hand and together they walk outside. Combeferre, Courfeyrac, and Grantaire are the only others still alive. The five of them walk into the café, unspoken words flittering through all of their minds. _This is where I want to die._ The soldiers line them up, but only Courfeyrac and Combeferre and Grantaire fall first. God keeps Enjolras and Éponine alive for a few more moments, and he feels Éponine getting weaker as he pulls her to his chest. Reaching over to the table where she had been lying, he picks up the flag, their flag, and raises it over his head as they crumple to the floor.

"_You'll be alright; no one can hurt you now. Come morning light, you and I'll be safe and sound."_

Burning. He is on fire, flames eat his skin and his insides and everything around him. He can still feel her against him, so the flames must be eating her up too, and he just wants her to run, to escape his flames. The fire continues on and on for what feels like an eternity, but is really just a matter of minutes. Then, it stops all at once. He opens his eyes to find her sitting with his head in her lap. Her skin is clean, her now dirt-free red hair falling into his face and tickling his nose. Her eyes stand out against her freckled cheeks, and her body is no longer emaciated under her beautiful white dress. He sits up, looking around, and in front of him is the Musain. There are no streetwalkers around, no gamins. Everything around them is clean and seems to glow. She stands, reaching for his hand, and he loops an arm around her waist, kissing her gently. He doesn't even have to ask where they are- he knows he is dead, and this is what comes after. They walk into the building and Gavroche runs to his sister, hugging her tightly. He hugs the little boy himself, ruffling his hair affectionately . He looks up to see the other boys, and he hugs them all. Feuilly is in the corner, making his fans. Grantaire is nursing a cup of coffee, and the others are talking like any other day. There is one missing, though. Marius isn't at his usual place beside Joly, nor anywhere in the building. Worried, he looks at Éponine for her reaction, expecting her to panic for the boy she loves.

He's met with her smiling, her eyes shining brightly and her hair wildly falling all around.

It's only then that he realizes she loves _him_, and the fire in his heart reaches out for her.

"_Just close your eyes, you'll be alright. Come morning light, you and I'll be safe and sound."_


End file.
